Page 61 of Halloween Town

Thanks to Thom, Poppy hadn’t thought about her family or Benji at all lately.

“I’m so proud of you for leaving him, Poppy,” Wren said, with a broad smile. “It couldn’t have been easy, but you did it.”

Guilt twisted in Poppy’s chest. Wren believed she was strong when she was absolutely weak. It felt like Wren was looking at a completely different version of herself, one she didn’t recognize. She wanted to correct her but still couldn’t make her tongue form the words.

She knew she should tell Wren, she was wise enough to know her silence, hard to carry already, would become heavier with every day she kept this from her best friend. Wren’s highest value was honesty, and Poppy had already lied—not directly, but by omission. And with every second that passed, she was perpetuating that lie.

And when Wren found out, she’d react by thinking that Poppy didn’t trust her enough to be truthful, or she’d be incandescently angry because Poppy had been prepared to sacrifice her happiness for her place in a family that didn’t value her. Or both.

Poppy winced, knowing that she’d caused a hairline crack in her friendship. Wren might not be able to see it or feel it yet, but Poppy knew it was there. She just prayed she’d work out how to solve this dilemma before it widened into a dangerous chasm.

“Has anyone from your family contacted you?” Wren asked.

Poppy shook her head. “Nothing apart from the one message Mom sent me.”

“Someone should’ve checked in on you,” Wren muttered. Poppy sent her a fond smile; Wren was a lot more upset about her family’s silence than she was.

“Bird, it’s their MO. They’ll just pretend that it didn’t happen, and the longer I stay away and out of sight, the happier they’ll be.”

“Did you ever find out what happened between Thom and Benji?” Wren asked, as they wandered through the market.

Poppy, inspecting a range of organic toiletries, shook her head. “Not all of it, but I do know that Benji was instrumental in Thom losing the CEO position.”

“Not surprised,” Wren stated. When they were out of earshot of the stallholder, she spoke again. “He always was a fucknugget.”

He had been, still was. Poppy thought back to the previous night, to the way Thom had loved her, how right and safe she felt in his arms. She’d had a few lovers, but never anyone who’d made her feel as secure as Thom did. She felt completely comfortable telling him what she liked, what she didn’t, how he made her feel… She’d never even talked to Benji during sex.

She didn’t know where she and Thom would end up; she still needed to work out where she was going, what her life looked life post-Benji and post her Halloween-in-Solstice-Springs vacation. For now, she was determined to enjoy an uncomplicated fling with a man who made her body hum and her heart lift.

“Are you Poppy?”

Poppy looked up at the woman standing in front of her and immediately clocked her intensity. In her hand was a copy of the newly printed maps of the town, the ones Poppy had designed. She felt a flush of pride. Luna, as out-there as she could be, hadn’t wasted any time getting the maps printed, and they were now being distributed everywhere. And the council had cut her a fat cheque for her art. “That’s right,” she said.

“Great! I spoke to somebody called Luna, and she said I should look for you here.”

Poppy exchanged a quick look with Wren. What was Luna up to now? “How can I help?” Poppy asked.

“You drew this map!”

“I did.” Did she mess up? Get something wrong? Mislabel something? No, Luna had checked and double-checked it, it was fine. “Is there a problem?”

Bright pink lips revealed slightly yellow, oversized teeth. “No, it’s great! Fantastic! I’m Melody Vein, by the way.”

Her name sounded vaguely familiar, but Poppy couldn’t place it.

“The author of the Myrrhwen series, I don’t know if you’ve heard of it.” Melody shifted on her feet, looking a little bashful.

Wren shoved her hand in the sky and bounced on her toes. “I have! I read books one and two and need to read book three. Isn’t four coming out soon?”

Melody blushed. “At the beginning of next year.”

Wren looked at Poppy. “You’ve got to read her books, Pops. They are witchy and wonderful, and a bit smutty.” Wren winced and pulled a face. “No offence, sorry.”

Melody released a booming laugh. “They are smutty! I’m glad you like them.”

Poppy smiled. Melody seemed fun, but what did she want with her? “How can I help?”

Melody gestured to the coffee truck behind them. “Can I buy you something?” she asked, coming across as a little unsure.